Current:Home > ContactIndexbit-'Squatters' turn Beverly Hills mansion into party hub. But how? The listing agent explains. -TradeSphere
Indexbit-'Squatters' turn Beverly Hills mansion into party hub. But how? The listing agent explains.
Poinbank View
Date:2025-04-09 11:58:37
A group of squatters have Indexbitallegedly taken over a house in Los Angeles' Beverly Hills neighborhood and turned it into a "party house," creating a nuisance by disturbing residents in the area.
The listing agent for the property located at Beverly Grove Place, John Woodward IV, told USA TODAY that the alleged squatters moved into the house in late October and have been living there since. Woodward says that he was appointed by the Los Angeles County Criminal Court to sell the property.
Woodward said that someone went up to the property with a locksmith and changed the locks and code of the huge private gate illegally and then leased it out to several other people. The court-appointed broker said that he called the police as soon as he found out. However, the people in the house produced a "fake lease," to which the police said that it was a "civil matter". The Beverly Hills Police Department said that the location does not come under their jurisdiction and falls under the Los Angeles Police Department, so they cannot comment on the matter. Meanwhile, the LAPD did not immediately respond to USA Today's request for information.
'Squatters' throw wild parties
"The cops have probably been up there no less than 50 times," said Woodward. "They're having crack parties and laughing gas parties and orgies and all sorts of (things) going on up there."
Woodward said that the people living in the mansion have also been renting out rooms, advertising the property as "Beverly Hills Lodge". He said some people have even been arrested from the house on drug and nuisance-related charges, but nothing has deterred its occupants from creating havoc night after night.
"They ran out a rage party every night up there," Woodward said. "Everybody's so upset about the situation."
Squatting in California:Los Angeles Airbnb renter leaves property after 570 days, lawsuits: report
Neighbors fed up
Residents in the neighborhood are miserable with the situation and told ABC News 7 that the squatters have been throwing wild parties, some for which they even charge admission. The local media outlet reported that "condoms and drug paraphernalia" littered the area around the house, located on the border of Beverly Hills and Bel Air.
A resident of the area told ABC7 that the party goers arrive in loud cars, motorcycles and Ubers, often around 2 a.m. in the morning, creating noise and blocking the small one-lane roads.
Fran Solomon, who owns the house next door that she's currently renting out, likened the situation to a "roaming pitbull".
"There's a roaming pit bull with children around," Solomon told ABC7. "There are people drunk and stoned, wobbling, walking in and out, and then driving the canyons. Does someone need to be killed before the police will do something?"
Solomon said that the tenants living in her house have had to hire an armed security guard to protect themselves.
Squatting:Police: Squatters in Nashville arrested, say God told them to stay at million-dollar home
Ownership issues led to alleged squatting
Woodward said that the mess surrounding the sprawling Mediterranean-style estate stem from ownership issues.
The house, which is currently on sale for $4.5 million, was previously owned by an orthopedic surgeon, Munir Uwaydah, who fled to Lebanon after he was accused in the murder and death of 21-year-old model Julianna Redding, with whom he was also reportedly in a relationship with. Uwaydah has also been linked to a health insurance fraud scheme and remains at large, according to a 2015 report by the L.A. Times.
The property, built in 1999, has received multiple offers from prospective buyers, according to Woodward, but the matters regarding its ownership and the ongoing squatter situation have prevented a sale from going through.
Woodward says that he has never seen anything like in his 40+ year career as a broker in Los Angeles.
It is not yet clear who owns the property.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
veryGood! (6374)
Related
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Proof Matty Healy Is Already Bonding With Taylor Swift’s Family Amid Budding Romance
- U.S. Nuclear Fleet’s Dry Docks Threatened by Storms and Rising Seas
- Chicago West Hilariously Calls Out Kim Kardashian’s Cooking in Mother’s Day Card
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Unable to Bury Climate Report, Trump & Deniers Launch Assault on the Science
- A newborn was surrendered to Florida's only safe haven baby box. Here's how they work
- Editors' picks: Our best global photos of 2022 range from heart-rending to hopeful
- Trump's 'stop
- Video: The Standing Rock ‘Water Protectors’ Who Refuse to Leave and Why
Ranking
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Inflation grew at 4% rate in May, its slowest pace in two years
- Cormac McCarthy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Road and No Country for Old Men, dies at 89
- Why Scheana Shay Has Been Hard On Herself Amid Vanderpump Rules Drama
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Black Panther actor Tenoch Huerta denies sexual assault allegations
- Saudi Arabia’s Solar Ambitions Still Far Off, Even With New Polysilicon Plant
- Open enrollment for ACA insurance has already had a record year for sign-ups
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Don't think of Africa as a hungry child, says a champion of Africa's food prowess
Native American Leaders Decry Increasingly Harsh Treatment of Dakota Access Protesters
Ultra rare and endangered sperm whale pod spotted off California coast in once a year opportunity
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
In praise of being late: The upside of spurning the clock
Therapy by chatbot? The promise and challenges in using AI for mental health
Don't think of Africa as a hungry child, says a champion of Africa's food prowess